Events

I recently went to the “Cape Town Good Food & Wine Fest”. I did it because I love food and wine. This was a whole day of walking around discovering new tastes and brands that the Western Cape has to offer. My best was the Vrede en Lust wine stall. I bought their flagship wine for myself – The Boet Erasmus 2009. We shot their video profile for Skybok recently as a result! I made a new friend in The Pillsbury man while we walked around! I also entered a competition to win a car. The wine tasting was way too much fun. I went with my good friend Candice and we had a fabulous time sampling this new champagne vodka that’s out. We also tried shots, cocktails and a new Bubblegum flavoured liqueur by a company called Smooch Beverages.

I’ll be appearing on the Expresso breakfast show and Top Billing on the 3rd of July, so tune in if you like! 🙂 Recently I shot the new music video for a band called Mac Stanley (previously known as Flat Stanley) and their song ‘Hold On’. It was very cool! I had to be a graceful sleeping beauty and smooch my prince 🙂

So a very memorable event that I went to recently was The Aloe Igazi Foundation‘s launch of the new Haematology Ward at The Provincial Hospital in Port Elizabeth. It was a momentous occasion because it’s the very first Haematology Ward in the Eastern Cape! It cost R20-million to build. They had great food, champagne, TV cameras, press and guest speakers to give the launch proper justice after all the hard work that’s gone into its development. My mom and I attended the event together. She is the president of the Rotary Club of Algoa Bay (2011-2012) and many members of other Rotary clubs attended the event to show their support and congratulations. One of the guest speakers was the renowned Dr Neil Littleton who is a physician & Head of the Department of Clinical Haematology at the Provincial Hospital. He is the recipient of a Paul Harris Recognition from the Rotary Club of Algoa Bay and was also the winner of the Herald’s Citizen of the Year (Business) title in 2010. There was a tour of the ward afterwards – I have included some of the official photos of the ward below, courtesy of the Foundation’s website. Dr Littleton carried out the first haematological stem cell transplant in the Eastern Cape in May 2010. And now stem cells are separated out in the Eastern Cape by the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) in Port Elizabeth. “Stem cell treatment is the future of medicine. Pioneering work is being done on using stem cells to treat all types of disease,” said Dr Neil Littleton.

The establishment of the Igazi Foundation in Nelson Mandela Bay grew out of the need to highlight the high incidence of blood diseases in the Eastern Cape, reads the media release for the Igazi Foundation, and it has sparked a research project into the causes of blood cancer in the province. Here are some great links to look at – articles with more information surrounding the new ward, it’s design, the key players involved in making it happen and The Igazi Foundation itself.

As they tell you on their website, The Blacktop Rally is “nothing short of the wildest road trip South Africa has ever seen.” In fact, “it’s a roadtrip of epic proportions, covering between 2,800 – 3,500km of the best backroads South Africa has to offer, sharing the experience with like-minded individuals and experiencing a fantastic adventure.” It kicked off on the 29th of April this year. The six day trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town found itself in Port Elizabeth on Day 4. Well how about that, so did I!

What a pleasure it was to have my family down recently from Los Angeles. My uncle is a singer (see my write-up on him by clicking HERE) and the last time I saw him and the rest of my family living there was a staggering 8 years ago. I can’t believe how time flies. It was an absolute thrill to have them all down for a reunion as well as for performances he gave in both Johannesburg and in Port Elizabeth. In Joburg he performed at Tanz Cafe and in P.E. he performed at The Vodacom Ampitheatre at The Boardwalk. There was a good crowd who came out to support him at The Boardwalk on both nights, despite the rainy weather.

It was so special to see David & Sherri (my cousin) get up on stage after the interval for a duet.

After the shows everyone stayed behind to buy CDs and get autographs.

Below is a photo I took with my uncle and his producer in South Africa, Benjy Mudie. Benjy initially became famous for being the Marketing Director of Tusk Music and subsequently for being the producer of a very popular South African singing group Mango Groove. He is most recently well-known from being a guest judge on Idols, South Africa, and for being the Founder and Managing Director of Fresh Music since 1998. Below is a photo of Sherri also signing her autograph on the CD.

It was a really great weekend… David performed two nights in a row. While in Johannesburg he was also interviewed on various radio stations and also on television. He was interviewed one morning on Morning Live on SABC3:

He and my cousin had a lovely write-up in The Herald’s Weekend Post while they were here, which was great to see! Sherri cracked the front page, so naturally we took this snap while waiting at the traffic light:)

Something else I was invited to attend over the past week was “The King & Queen of Port Elizabeth” competition. It was held at the The Grand Hotel here in P.E. and was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. I attended it with my good friend Brandon Lorenzo, of MTV Base fame. It was very cute seeing the babies modelling… I managed to steal a snap with two of them after the show.

I attended another super event after that…. it was a talk given by Colin Cowie – events planner & lifestyle guru to the stars! He spoke here in Port Elizabeth at The Granary and a huge crowd came out to listen to him.

This guy has planned some of the most talked-about parties in the world… his clients include Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries, Oprah Winfrey, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Hugh Hefner and many more…. So it was only fitting that I wore my highest pair of heels in honour of the occasion! Click HERE to view his website – it’s very interesting!

He was telling me how he’s missed biltong, smoked snoek, oxtail, tomato sauce and all the other South African products that aren’t available in the U.S. Finding out that he is from Selborne College in East London, here in SA, was so amazing. He said that he left South Africa at the age of 23 with nothing but a well-cut suit, a good tan and $400! His first client was Bruce Willis, when he was still young and had just got his first job on the series Moonlighting. Bruce asked him to do a barbeque on the beach and the rest is history. It was very inspiring to hear! It shows you that anything is possible. Here is a snap of him and I:

I spoke to them about valuing yourself and using your God-given talents to achieve great things in life.They loved it when I did my range of accents for them! British especially 😉 Afterwards we handed out dictionaries to the learners, which were sponsored by Rotary Algoa Bay. My mother is the President of Rotary Algoa Bay this year, so she was there to present the students with this generous donation! It was a beautiful experience! Giving back is very important.

Being in the heart of London as a South African representative for Top Model 2012 was a huge honour for me. The whole experience was something I looked forward to for quite some time! All in all it was two weeks in the UK – one of which was entirely dedicated to the runway show and its surrounding PR and events. What a fabulous adventure it was. Held at The Hilton Metropole in London, the show featured models from all around the world showing the designs of renowned designers & labels. These included Gianni Lilliu, Luna Sky, Analili New York by Daisy & Mac Bermuda, Fabryan, Eva Grygo, Wot The Frok by Naomi Quarrinton, Garcia by Daisy & Mac Bermuda, Remus Uomo, Gingerbread and Omar Mansoor, who showed at London Fashion Week 2012.

Probably my favourite evening leading up to the show was the VIP Pre-show launch party held at a nightclub in SOHO. It was such a radical nightclub! I loved the floor. Everyone was there – models, judges, sponsors, stylists – and we all just met each other and partied the night away.

The theme was “Naughty or Nice” and, well, I bought some devil horns, a bowtie and a tail:)

The winner was an awesome girl from Nigeria, Tarmar, who I became great friends with!

See another article I wrote about my time in London: Here We Go, London, as well as some incredible things I’ve been involved with since: My Adventures Since London. I had an amazing time in the UK. On one of the days we managed to go to Buckingham Palace –

I thought I saw Harry peeking out from one of the rooms….!

A few days after jet-setting home, I had to down a Redbull and take myself off to The Loop Nightclub in Cape Town to MC the Traffic Clothing Winter Collection Fashion Show. This time I was behind the microphone and not on the runway 😛 It was a show put on by Younique Concepts – started by one of South Africa’s top female DJ’s Vanessa Holliday, in this pic below. Also in the pic below is the owner of The Loop nightclub, Mark Lifman. It was an incredible event run by a very efficient and professional group of people – all at Younique Concepts. There was a HUGE crowd and amazing music by Monique Pascal which the 10 models supplied by Twenty Management modeled to. There were brilliant prize give-aways from the likes of Rikkis Taxis, Traffic clothing and the Pepper Club amongst others. Sponsors/contributors for the night included GQ and Glamour Magazines, Redken, Gordon’s Gin, Vida e caffè, Le Chocolatier, Soft Lips and more….

The past few weeks have seen me very busy here in the film & entertainment industry in Cape Town. Something I’m very proud of is the recording of a few radio adverts for Algoa FM. A couple were for companies situated in Port Elizabeth, including Greenacres Hospital and my family’s business Doubell Machines & Equipment. I also recorded some voice over work for in-store promotions at Shoprite & Checkers. And then one especially exciting one for my business, Skybok! Here is a snap of me in studio:

I finished up work for the new SKYYVODKA ‘Mix-a-cocktail’ iPad application. I recorded the voice-over for the app’s tutorial yesterday and I shot the tutorial itself (my hands guiding you through the app).

On the PR side of things, I was asked to cover an event for the couture label FCM, who held a Fashion Party at Club 169 in Longstreet here in Cape Town. They are a great local label. On the modelling side, I’m off to London tomorrow for Top Model (here are articles where I have written about it in the past if you want to know more):

I thank The Herald’s Weekend Post for the lovely write-up I received this past weekend about it:

When I get back to South Africa on March 20th, I’m looking forward to seeing my uncle David Aldo, who is flying in from Los Angeles to do a tour of South Africa. FYI he’s is a singer in Los Angeles who started out singing at the Polo Lounge in Beverley Hills. He has been blessed to have performed at such events as Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher’s wedding, Rod Stewart’s birthday and other private events for stars Jennifer Lopez, Demi Moore, Michael Douglas, Robbie Williams and Janet Jackson amongst others. He was last in South Africa when he opened for Lionel Ritchie on his tour. His producer is the well-known Benjy Mudie, who was recently a guest judge on Idols SA – Click HERE to watch Benjy’s interview.

The FCM Fashion Party held at Club 169 on Longstreet this past Saturday night was a huge success. Arriving to a glass of champagne and a leopard print goodie bag filled with delights – including the latest copy of the Marie Claire magazine, a lip gloss, a sparkling water, free beauty treatments and more – I was impressed with the party that was awaiting me.

So the big event right now on everyone’s lips is the up-coming FCM Fashion Party. In case you didn’t know, ‘FCM’ stands for “Ferial’s Closet Makeover” – a Couture designer label, hot on the South African scene. All clothes are designed by the talented and sassy Ferial Dawood.

Her famous teacup and saucer headpiece was certainly intriguing. I attended the J & B Met myself (See my article on it HERE) and I heard about it via the whispers of my friends at the event this year. To be honest, the fashions that rock up on the day are the hot topic on everybody’s lips. Yes, the horses are an ingredient and certainly the bets taking place can be dizzying… but on top of that, each attendee tries to guess who designed what outfit and who they think should win the coveted title of ‘Best Designer’ for the day. Whether you were watching SABC 3,Top Billing, The Expresso Show, All Access or simply reading the Cape Argus for a recap of the famous horse-racing event, you would have seen the winner, Jelena Jablanovic. A young and sassy design student, Jelena certainly made herself proud that day with her oufit designed to the theme ‘Made Different’.

Jelena ‘made different’ with a unique idea sparked off by seeing a vintage teacup and saucer one day. It proved to be the winning ticket for judges, who judged her designer dress and signature accessory as the best over many other contestants who entered. I met with her at Truth Coffee Bar in Greenpoint for an interview.

Tamika: Where are you from originally?

Jelena: I was born in Johannesburg but I’ve been between Cape Town and Johannesburg my whole life.

Tamika: Where did you go to school?

Jelena: I went to Milnerton High and I’m now studying my B/A in Fashion at Fedisa Fashion School here in Cape Town. I’m in my final year.

Tamika: What kind of training did you do for design, if any?

Jelena: Technically at Fedisa, but I’ve been designing stuff as a passion since I was in grade 5! I’ve always known this is what I wanted to do.

Tamika: Do you have a label? If so, where can we find your clothes?

Jelena: Yes I will soon be coming out with my own label called “Mossolena” – ‘Mosso’ meaning “motion or movement in a direction” in Italian and ‘Lena’ being the end of my name. It will be a swimwear label, very much designed to make women beautiful and accentuate the good parts of the individual’s body. I’m all about making things around me more beautiful. It will be out by the 2012/2013 Summer season. It will be an online store to begin with.

Tamika: Stunning! So what are your influences mainly? What are you inspired by?

Jelena: I’m inspired by life. I have strong influences from architecture and interior design. For my graduate collection this year I am inspired by Playstation and especially the game Assassin’s Creed. The work that gets put into the game and graphics inspires me and I’m going to design my clothing to have a modern day yet historical element. I want my pieces to be avant-garde as a whole but as you strip down the outfits, each piece is a commercial piece of clothing making up the whole.

Tamika: Tell us about the J&B Met win!

Jelena: Well it started out as just a project at Fedisa – for students to design dresses for the Met. We were told they would be judged in a final fashion show at the school and whoever won would be entered into the competition at the Met. I won the competition within the school and so I was entered…. I must say that after seeing the brief ‘Made Different’ I adapted my design slightly to fit the theme. That’s where the teacup and saucer came in as a quirky headpiece! The J & B Met competition is open to any designer, including couples who just happen to come up with a clever outfit. So there was stiff competition and I must say, I didn’t think I was going to win!

Tamika: So what exactly did you win?

Jelena: I won a 3-night stay at the Tinga Game Reserve up in the Kruger National Park. I won Givenchy vouchers to the value of R5 000. And I won loads of girly stuff, including facials, hair products and beauty treatments!

Tamika: Wow! So what’s in the pipeline for you at the moment?

Jelena: In the pipeline is my Fedisa graduate show. That’s in November. And also on the cards for me is a shoot with renowned South Africa photographer Richard Keppel-Smith. I dabble in styling and art directing, so I’ve worked with some incredible mainstream fashion photographers on commercial shoots. I’ve worked with Kristina Stojkovic in the past and I just find I have a passion for being involved in shoots – whether for advertising, potraits or editorials – and it’s a sphere of my life I see myself developing this year. Also in the pipeline is continuing my work at Scalini – an Italian Fashion House in the Cape Quarter and Jarvis Street.

Tamika: What designer do you look up to?

Jelena: Haldane Martin, a local designer in Contemporary South African Furniture Design.

Tamika: Are you planning on staying in South Africa?

Jelena: Yes I am! There is still so much to experience here. I would, of course, love to travel and look into internships overseas… But it would be with the goal of bringing what I learn over there back here.

Tamika: Where do you party, usually?

Jelena: I like Jade, The Fez, Trinity and The Reserve!

Tamika: What’s in the boot of your car right now?

Jelena: A sewing machine! Oh, and my visual diary.

Tamika: Do you have siblings?

Jelena: Yes, a younger sister and brother.

Tamika: What does your family do?

Jelena: My parents are pitbosses at The GrandWest Casino. And my dad also has an online gambling business.

Tamika: What’s a typical day for you?

Jelena: Ha! That would be varisty, varisty, varsity! Classes and working on up-coming assignments. I like to walk my dogs when I have time in the day and also design for my Swimwear label.

Tamika: Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?

Jelena: Still doing what I love; making things beautiful. I would like to have my own store and be a successful art director.

Tamika: What’s one interesting thing about you that your followers don’t know?

Jelena: My animals are my babies!!

Tamika: Name a place you love.

Jelena: The promenade along Mouille Point.

Tamika: Do you do any charity work?

Jelena: I work for the SPCA when I can and I also volunteer at a children’s creche.

Tamika: What do you tell yourself when you’ve finished your latest work/creation?